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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    127

    Question Cutting board

    I was able to get some ambrosia maple for $3 bf and was wondering if I could use it to make a cutting board for my wife ? is it a hard enough wood and if so could I use a blo and shellac finish or go with a oil finish

  2. #2
    Usually Ambrosia maple refers to either red or silver maple which is not the preferred sugar/rock hard maple for cutting boards. If you are making an endgrain board you may get away with it. BLO and shellac are a poor choice for finish as BLO has nasty additives and shellac while building a film will not hold up to the wear, tear and water. Mineral oil is a better finish, mineral oil and a wax, even better.

  3. #3
    Maple is plenty hard enough. I use soft maple for my cutting boards. Most of my cutting boards are long (edge) grain, if you glue up that way or endgrain you'd lose the feature of the ambrosia. Face grain cutting boards don't hold up as well to cutting, but can look real nice.

    BLO is NOT a good recommended finish for food surfaces. Mineral oil is my preferred choice, its inexpensive and food-safe.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Shoreline, CT
    Posts
    2,923
    Yes, BLO contains metallic driers. They could hurt you if you drink it, but they really won't leach out of the BLO once it is fully cured in a month or so. I don't recommend it for cutting boards particularly, but the driers aren't the reason--BLO hasn't used lead as the drier for a very long time.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Piedmont Triad, NC
    Posts
    793
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Labacz View Post
    I was able to get some ambrosia maple for $3 bf and was wondering if I could use it to make a cutting board for my wife ? is it a hard enough wood and if so could I use a blo and shellac finish or go with a oil finish
    FYI:
    tyk03_ambrosia_beetle.jpgThis is the Ambrosia beetle that carries the fungus,
    that causes Maple to look like this.PA4983.jpg

    From Professor Gene Wengert:
    "The insect that carries in the ambrosia fungus on its feet into the wood (the fungus is food for the insect's offspring when they hatch) prefers wood that is not soaking wet, but that has begun to dry. It will not infect dry wood."

    You can get "Salad bowl" finish for cutting boards from Woodcraft or the BORG.
    "Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.”
    Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)

    "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
    Henry Ford

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